Wednesday, August 15, 2012

'Childish, extreme' to stop Muslim backing for DAP

Perlis
mufti Juanda Jaya has described Islamic teacher Abdullah Sa’amah’s
claim that it is haram for Muslims to support DAP as “strange”,
“extreme”, “childish” and “outdated”.

In an email interview, Juanda (left)
said such views should not be taken seriously because they are not
reflective of Islamic teachings, and are not in line with the federal
constitution and democracy.

“Thus, those who highlight and give
room to such extreme and anti-democratic views, and who are inclined
towards causing arguments in a peaceful country like Malaysia, have an
attitude that is very disappointing,” he said.

Juanda was replying questions on whether Abdullah’s comments have any basis and if these could have any impact on society.

He
said Malaysia is a plural society and Muslims should vote for those who
fulfil the needs of Islam and who can bring stability to the country.

“Malaysians,
especially Muslims, must understand that nation building is our joint
responsibility. It is not just the work of politicians,” he said.

Abdullah, a religious teacher in Tumpat, Kelantan, rose to national prominence after Utusan Malaysia ran back-to-back front page reports last week on his call for Muslims to reject DAP. 'Not smart move'
Juanda said he considers Abdullah’s attempt to classify DAP as “kafir harbi” (enemy of Islam) as a declaration of war against non-Muslims, a move which he described as “tidak cerdik" (not smart).

“Muslims should rightfully see themselves as umat dakwah (proselytisers)
who are actively trying to spread Islam to non-Muslims, so they
understand Islam better based on the Quran and the Hadith,” he said.

“Islam
is not rough nor does it seek arguments with non-Muslims... The image
of Islam can be tainted by extremists.” Abdullah was little known until his comments were given prominence, and led to a chorus of similar calls from other teachers.

Strangely,
Abdullah had said that, while it is wrong to support DAP, it not
harmful for Muslims to support MCA and MIC, because these parties
support a “Muslim government” and have cooperated well with Umno.

"DAP's
struggle is not acceptable under the federal constitution. They want
equal treatment for Muslims and non-Muslims, for temples and mosques to
be treated the same,” Abdullah reportedly said.

"It's compulsory
for Muslims in PAS, Umno and PKR to reject DAP, which is looking for a
way to control the country through the ballot box.”